Till This Nightmare Ends
by Crescent-Ri
Summary: Avalon, a friend of the Special Operations Squad supposedly perished in the Trost breach. A few weeks later, she's found with a 07 tattooed on her shoulder. Levi's unit are shocked by her appearance, but she tries to act like nothing went wrong. In all reality, she hides a big secret that could be key to humanity. Rated M for violence and language.LevixOC ErenxMIkasa, ArminxAnnie
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Avalon's P.O.V.

"I don't get it," I said again. "Why do you have to clean your blades with disinfectant every day? They're going to get dirty after each expedition anyway, right?" I watched as Levi and his squad vigorously rubbed the cleaning liquid into each and every one of their ten blades.

Petra sighed and stopped cleaning for a split second. Levi glared at her, and she immediately resumed the rubbing. "They're dirty." Levi said plaintively. I looked at him. The blades were silver. Maybe a speck of dust here and there. But there was dust _everywhere. _

I was sitting on a lone stool across from the couch, where the squad was seated. Well, Erd was standing, and I could see Auruo wanting to get up and move around too, but since Levi was seated, so did he. "In fact, isn't there an expedition tomorrow?" I hinted. "They're going to get dirty again."

"Then we'll clean them again," Levi answered. I nearly face-palmed. The whole squad was oblivious to the freakiness of the whole thing. "Are you coming on the expedition? It's designed so that our squad would be at the safest point." Though I wasn't an official member of the squad, I had gained enough familiarity to be noted as one.

"No," I muttered, "I'm going to the Trost District in Wall Rose. They're having a concert there, and I'm expected to perform. I'll be staying there for a week. I'm leaving tonight too." I was a performer, one of the singers. I also happened to be the King's niece, and one of his very few female relatives.

"Aww," Petra complained, "I wanted to see you perform!" She glanced at Levi. "Do you schedule these things so that I never have the chance to watch her perform in public?" He looked at her, disinterested with the topic of conversation. "Ah, look at the time! Avalon, I believe it's time for our daily cooking lesson!"

We both got up and headed for the kitchens. One of the things Petra beat me at was cooking. At first, I couldn't cook to save my life. "What will we be making today, Chef Petra?" I asked in a teasing tone as I tied up my pale blue hair.

"Mini fruit tarts with light vanilla custard, my student," she shot back, "They're one of Levi's favorites." I chuckled to myself. "Do me a favor and get me the mini tart pans, the flour, and the custard mix?" She busied herself to the task of organizing the rest of the ingredients.

For the next few hours, we made fruit tarts. They would have been perfect had it not been for the fact she left the decorations and final presentation to me. "They look a bit…odd, but it should be edible." Petra said, picking one of them up. We both took a bite at the same time.

The rest of Levi's Unit filed in. Levi sniffed at the tarts. "They look like shit." Nevertheless, he and the others each picked one up, about to take a bite. "And they taste like shit too." He spoke bluntly.

"I guess all the credit should be given to my marvelous student." Petra instantaneously said. I could almost see sparkles around her.

"Hm, yeah," I said without thinking, "Wait, and don't try to charm yourself out of this!" I yelled. The other members of the Special Operations Squad tried to smile, but only ended up with creepy smiles in an attempt _not _to swallow the horrific tarts.

"Miss Avalon?" A girl walked into the room, wearing a pencil skirt and blazer, obviously the woman in charge of me. "Please get ready. We are prepared to depart to Trost of Wall Rose in less than ten minutes. I would expect for you to don your disguise as well."

I frowned at her retreating back. Erd threw me a black hoodie. Large sunglasses soon followed to cover up my blue eyes. The routine was well-practiced within the squad. They knew of my clumsiness and my habit of pulling something together in the last minute that usually had a disastrous result.

I waved to the squad and went outside, where a boat was ready. "Miss Avalon, at your command, we are ready to leave for the outer Wall." A boating assistant said stiffly. I smiled at his effort at respect. "The trip is estimated to take a few hours at most."

"At ease," I said, "I'm the niece of the King, not the daughter. Please treat me the same way as you would treat a fellow friend." At once, the boy straightened up. "We may go now, if all preparations are ready." I walked off into my private room, and saw a green cloak with the Wings of Freedom on the back. I let out a huff of air. "For someone so clean, you would think he wouldn't forget his cloak," I muttered.

The ship carried on peacefully, wind rushing over the calm waters. I heard some grunting and yelling outside and curiously wondered what was going on. We were going into the Trost District, and my attention was soon diverted to the passing Wall Rose.

"Avalon, please come outside," someone said in a sweet tone. "We're arriving at the providence, and it would be best for you to make an appearance." I didn't recognize the tone, but stepped outside, my long fingers rubbing the hood of the black jacket I wore.

I was instantly knocked down, and someone grabbed my hands, tying them together with a piece of twine. There were three burly men grinning down at me. "Miss…Avalon." I turned and saw the same sailor before. He was struggling to crawl toward me.

I could see why. There were numerous gashes and stab wounds in his chest, and I was frankly surprised he had even survived. "Idiot," I smiled softly. "Why are you struggling so much? Escape. Leave me here."

He looked horrified at my suggestion. "Miss, I was born to serve. To leave my master in the time of need goes against everything I have been taught to do." He still spoke formally. "I still hope for you, Miss Avalon. To people of the lower status like me, you are our candle in the pitch darkness."

"Why…? I haven't done anything." I protested, only to realize his eyes had glazed over. He had died.

One of the guys laughed and walked over to him, poking him with a rifle. I narrowed my eyes at him. He reached down and took the sailor's wallet, shifting through the dollar bills. "This was not a good catch. He barely has any money for food."

"Are you a savage, taking trophies from the dead?!" I yelled, tears rushing down my cheeks. The rope dug into my wrists, blood seeping into the rough string. "What do you want from me? A ransom? The King won't pay it! I'm only his goddamn niece!"

The other man was about to reply when I heard several screams. A giant crash. I struggled to turn around, but the three had run off, afraid of what had come. The ground shook, and for a moment, I wondered what had scared my kidnappers so much they had fled without their victim?

When I saw the Wall, I knew. The Wall had fallen. A Titan loomed over me, its face stretched into a gruesome, permanent frown. I pulled against my bonds, and the rope finally came free. The kidnappers were definitely not known for their knot-tying skills.

I ran. I grabbed the green cloak along the way, holding the clothing article close to my chest. More screams ensued in the following minutes, and streaks of tears shone on my face. They were suffering. "Come on!" I saw a woman up ahead. "Hurry up!"

She held out a welcoming hand to me. I took it, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flash of a glass vial. She plunged the needle into my upper arm as I twitched, numb in her arms. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked numbly, my blank eyes looking at her.

The woman only smiled faintly. "We need at least ten."

Levi's P.O.V.

"Auruo," Petra complained, "Stop it with the acts!" She impishly put her hands on her waist as we rode back to the Walls. Auruo made an attempt to reply, only to slip on a few rocks and bite his tongue.

The whole way back, he had a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth, nursing the wound. "What's going on?" Erd asked as he studied the smoke rising up into the clouds. We were within sight of the Trost District of Wall Rose. Disinterested, I examined my cloak. Tch. Some dirt had gotten stained on it. I resolved to clean it as soon as I got back to headquarters.

As we got closer, I could hear many screams. "The Wall's been breached!" Erwin yelled, "Save as many citizens as you can, make sure all find refuge in Wall Sina!" Quick with orders like usual.

But then I remembered something.

_ "No," Avalon muttered, "I'm going to the Trost District in Wall Rose. They're having a concert there, and I'm expected to perform. I'll be staying there for a week. I'm leaving tonight too." She pouted, a look I found completely adorable. Of course, I didn't say that out loud._

Avalon was probably dead.

Third Person P.O.V.

Ten Years Ago…

"Miss, he's not safe to approach!" The guard protested as a young girl strode into the dank cell, wearing a bright expression. "He's going to die by hanging tomorrow anyway! He's a criminal that can't be saved." With her was a blonde man with a stoic expression.

"Everyone can be saved," she said placidly, "We are not prisoners of the past; it is merely a reminder for us to never repeat the same mistakes again." She bent down right next to the jailed up twenty-year old man. "I'm Avalon. You're Levi, right? Meet Commander Erwin of the Scouting Legion." She gestured toward the blonde-haired man.

Levi scowled at her. "Are you sure about this, Avalon?" Erwin asked skeptically. "The Scouting Legion is always welcome to members, but he's on death row. Can you convince Dallis Zacklay to let him live?" He folded his arms. "I'm sure he would make an excellent soldier though."

"Hey," Avalon bent down near Levi, putting on hand on his shoulder despite the guard's protest. "You want to live. I know you want to live. Right? Because we're human. Humans will always struggle to live, even when there's no chance. You aren't alone at this, Levi. We can hope. We can survive."

Five Years Later…

Levi's P.O.V.

Tch. What was all that noise now? I opened the door to my cabin and saw Avalon smiling cheerily at me. But it looked forced. "What do you want now?" I muttered. "It's fucking four A.M. What could you possibly want now?" I glowered at her.

"The squads died again." She said, still trying to smile. "I was supposed to help with the planning…it's my fault I didn't place them in a better position to avoid the Titans." She rushed into my arms without my offering to hug her. I was going to have to clean that shirt later.

"I promise you…I will keep fighting and wipe every single last Titan off the face of the Earth and survive." I muttered.

I made a promise that day. And I'll keep it. Because it was a promise made to the girl who saved me from the dark pit of despair.

Avalon's P.O.V.

I howled in pain, clutching at my right shoulder. Tattooed on the upper part were the numbers 07. My blood came away in my hands, a monstrous electric-blue slippery liquid. I rubbed it on the floor, crying.

It reminded me of how inhuman I was now.

The woman had gotten me into an underground lab. I was the seventh experiment of ten, and one of the three survivors. The vaccines that got distributed within our bloodstreams guaranteed a full day of throbbing, burning agony.

The other two survivors were Experiments 04 and 09. I knew 04 was female and 09 was male. Telling them our names were forbidden. We couldn't even see each other's faces. Whenever we attempted to introduce ourselves with our real names, the collar shocked us so hard, it'd take a lot of strength and willpower to not pass out.

I dimly thought about Levi, hugging my knees close to my chest, arms linked around the perimeter of my knees. The cloak was on me, buttoned securely. The scientists were decent enough to let me keep it. The scent of cherry wood and fresh rain filled my nose.

Though I right next to Death's door, I briefly smiled.

Then the explosion racked the lab, fiery flames roaring and incinerating all within its grasp.

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Thanks for reading! Please review~


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Avalon's P.O.V.

The lab exploded. How something underground could catch on fire was a mystery to me. I struggled to stand up, my ankle protesting with sharp bursts of pain. "Seventh!" I saw a red-haired girl unlock my cell. "Come on! Ninth is waiting for us at the exit with the files!"

"Fourth?" I passed out, my head hitting the stone wall, and my ankle finally giving out.

_ "Subject 07 is showing vital healthy signs despite having been at the verge of death for the past forty-eight hours." A voice interrupted my calm nap, and I woke up with a loud groan. "We can continue the testing as the director has ordered."_

_ "Subject 04 and 09 are drifting in and out of consciousness," another person said, "It would be better to wait for them to resume normal behavior before doing further experiments." There was a shuffling, then the click of a lock. "Subject 07 will have to last for now."_

_ I cracked open an eyelid. Was the fire a dream? It felt so real…I could almost still feel the flames licking my skin with burning tendrils. Then I glanced down. Multiple burns spotted my arms. A man and woman were walking into the jail cell, white coats swirling around their bodies. "What's on the agenda today?"_

_ The woman glanced at a stack of thick paper. "Today is testing on the immortality rate. Her blood color has changed, which is a good sign that her physical body is slowly adapting to the new chemicals. And her hair color has grown more pronounced, so that's another welcome sign."_

"Avalon!" I felt someone jerk me awake. "Are you okay?" Emily's concerned face stared down at my shaking form. "You would have thought a few weeks after you escaped from the lab, the nightmares would've stopped by now." She pressed a damp, cool cloth to my forehead.

I remembered now. Experiments 04 and 09, or Isla and Evan, had helped me out of the underground lab before it had exploded. Evan's girlfriend, Emily, was kind enough to understand the situation and take us in.

Now all four of us lived together in a small house in Wall Rose, located near the Wall Sina opening. I heard the crash as the door burst open, and Isla and Evan paraded through it, Isla holding a bag of groceries, and Evan holding one thick envelope. "We're back!" Isla said, as if that wasn't obvious enough.

It had been a few days since we stayed here. I wasn't allowed to go outside due to the fact I had striking hair color and eyes, and it would be easy for anyone to recognize me as the singer and the King's niece.

"You know what I've always wondered?" Evan broke the silence as we were cooking dinner, a stew that mainly consisted of vegetables and broth. "Why hasn't anyone seen the explosion from the lab? It's not like we were in Titan territory."

"You know the lab is on the very outskirts of Wall Maria," Emily said mildly, "It took me a while to find you guys there too. I thought Evan was a ghost when I first saw him." The couple exchanged adoring looks.

I saw Isla with a mischievous smile. "Isla, what did you do now?"

"This," she said triumphantly and slammed a piece of paper on the table, making the bowls rattle a bit. "We got invited to the Masquerade hosted by the King for his birthday." She leaned back, pleased with herself. "We're definitely going. I don't care if we're experiments, but I will make sure that we all go to the shitty Masquerade and enjoy our lives for once."

"I'm not disagreeing with you," Evan said, "But it's a high risk. You know Avalon is the niece of that guy, right?" He gestured toward me. "And she's supposed to be dead." Meanwhile, I examined the invitation. It seemed legit enough, but what I couldn't process was why he was holding the ball for everyone.

The ballroom was big enough for that many people. But the King was very professional; he never invited the common people to his parties, especially one to celebrate his birthday. "It sounds fun," Emily deadpanned, "I think we should go. Masquerades mean you can dye your hair, so Avalon will go unnoticed."

"Alright!" Isla and I cheered at the same time.

A Few Days Later…

I nervously smoothed down the front of the dress for the fiftieth time. Isla, Evan, Emily and I were quickly approaching the palace doorways. It seemed that only the first hundred citizens could attend, so it was basically like first come, first served.

I wore a black dress that formed an 'X' across my back and a black mask to match. It had taken us a long time to find dresses that were cheap and affordable. "Name." A burly guard barked. "Wall and occupation."

Isla glared at him through her orange and red mask. "Islain. Wall Maria. Maid-in-progress." She wore a stunning red-orange gown, patterned like flames that perfectly complimented her red hair.

Evan was next. "Evandor," he huffed proudly. I mentally face-palmed. Now they were just making up weird names. "Wall Maria. Construction manager." He wore the typical suit and white mask, though it was clearly obvious that the suit was itchy, as he kept on scratching at it.

"Emily," the said person nodded smoothly. Unlike us, she was actually a citizen and had no worries over getting caught. "Wall Maria. I'm a housewife."

"Next," the guard yelled, giving me a nasty look.

"Avon," I said, "Wall Maria. I'm a caretaker and babysitter for the elderly or young." His gaze was scrutinizing, and inside, I was freaking out. "May I go inside now?" He gruffly nodded, though still stared after me even as I departed.

"Nice one," Evan told me, "Real smooth. Divide and conquer, fellow friends!" He yelled-whispered as he trotted off in the direction of the snack table.

"Look at that Military Police girl," Isla whispered, "She's shooting me angry looks because our gowns are the same color. Maybe I should push her into the wine barrels. Then our gowns will surely be different hues."

I sighed, and she walked away, probably excited to dance. Exasperated, Emily chased after Evan. I heard a bunch of clapping and saw Erwin and Levi enter the hall. They were chatting amiably, well, Erwin was. Levi looked like he'd rather be in the jaws of a filthy Titan.

I laughed. Levi directed his scowl toward me, and my hands immediately flew to my face, checking to make sure the mask was tied tight in place. The Special Operations Squad filed in after him, Petra grinning.

I turned and saw that Evan was devouring down what must have been half of the snacks left out for the guests to enjoy, with Emily glaring at him and saying, "No, I don't know him," to whomever had passed by.

"Hello," Petra's voice startled me, and I slowly looked at her. "I haven't seen you in the city before! What's your name?" She was friendly and outgoing. "Ah, I hope that man is enjoying my snacks. I made a few, but the palace chefs did most of the cooking."

"I'm sure he is," I said stiffly, freezing up, "I'm Avon."

She tilted her chin. "Avon?" A look of sadness overcame her soft features, but was gone so fast, I wasn't even sure I'd seen it. "That's an interesting name. Are you enjoying the masquerade?"

"It's pleasant," I mirthlessly said.

"Petra!" Levi approached us, face dark. He was wearing formal clothing, though he still hadn't ditched the scarf. "Come on. I need your help getting Auruo to shut the fuck up."

"Corporal Levi." I addressed him respectfully. He glared at me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, but I really hope you would have a limit on the language. There are children present" Though it really wasn't a happy reunion, seeing as he was in a bad mood and he had no clue who I was.

Then it all happened in a seemingly slow-motion sort of way. A drunken guest bumped into me, and I fell forward, the ribbon to my mask loosening. It slipped off and I saw Levi and Petra gaping at me. Well, Petra was gaping. Levi was staring.

"Avalon. You're alive." It didn't sound like a question.

I ran to where Evan and Emily were. "Come on. Let's go." I dragged the pair to the hall and searched the room for Isla. "Where's Isla?!"

I heard a loud splash and a sweet, innocent-sounding voice saying, "Oh, miss, you accidently _tripped _into the wine barrel. How sad! Your dress is ruined!"

"What was that?" Emily asked.

"A Military Police girl getting dumped into the wine by Isla," I retorted without looking back. Isla and I exchanged eye contact, and as if bound by a telepathic warning message, she quickly speed-walked toward me.

"What's up?"

"I got spotted by someone I know." I said, eyes scanning for Levi. He was walking swiftly toward Erwin and Dallis Zacklay, and whispering to them. They were shocked for a minute, but before long, Military Police members swarmed the area.

"Hurry!" Isla switched her mask with mine. "I'll be a decoy. Avalon, you get away."

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. Emily and Evan were running toward the giant group of police to distract them, but we were running out of time. "What will happen if you get caught?"

She smiled sadly. "No one knew me in the past life anyway." With that simple phrase, she spun around and ran the other direction, shouting and drawing all eyes on her slim form.

I felt a yank on my arm and saw Levi. His blue eyes bore into mine, and I felt his hand loosen. "Why aren't you dead." Again, it didn't sound like a question.

Isla's P.O.V.

I ran away, giggling as a bunch of men chased me. I had always dreamed of men chasing my skirts when I was little, though this certainly wasn't what I had been expecting. Why, oh why, universe, why must you interpret thoughts the wrong way?

"Get her!" I heard someone else yell. Oh yeah, as if the giant horde of people chasing me wasn't enough as a signal to chase me down.

I wondered if Avalon got to safety. I heard some whizzing behind me and briefly asked myself if the yells of the men had turned into a swarm of buzzing bees.

I was knocked down, my breath rushing out of me. A blonde man sighed as soon as my mask was removed. "You aren't Avalon." I grinned foolishly at the guy. "Who are you?"

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Commander," I said lightly, "This has been the most entertaining masquerade I have ever been to! You really must give my compliments and thanks to the King. Though, you really should have stocked up more on the snacks."

"I asked you who you are." He said stiffly, not getting off me. Geez was this guy emotionless or something. I could tell this was his normal attitude, serious and stoic. The two personality traits that I definitely did not have.

"Isla." I said simply. "Now will you please get off me? My foot's starting to fall asleep."

Avalon's P.O.V.

I nervously paced the large jail cell in which they had stuffed me, Isla, Evan, and Emily. "Stop pacing," Emily said gently, "You're creating a draft." At least this cell had two bunk beds. There were many worse underground prisons that I knew the King wouldn't mind using to house his disobedient niece and her gang friends.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, "I got all of you in this personal matter." I received a giant slap on the back and glared at the person who had hit me.

"Don't worry about it!" Isla smiled cheekily. "I have some things to settle with Erwin anyway."

The jail door swung open and an orange-haired woman swept inside the cell, engulfing me in a giant hug. "Avalon! You're alive!" Petra squealed. "Do you know how much trouble you caused the squad? And I was wondering if you even practiced cooking!"

"Tch. Interrupting my precious cleaning time." I saw Levi walking in too. "Petra, don't get off track with them. Erwin wants to interrogate Avalon first. Then you can do whatever you want with her." He stalked off. I stared after him, confused.

Petra took my arm and led me out of the prison. "He's just grumpy because he ran out of cleaning alcohol. And the hospital ward didn't lend him any rubbing alcohol for his blades either." We walked on silently. "Avalon, can you tell us what really happened?" Her face was sad.

I didn't say anything else to her. Though I was very shocked when I saw who would be interrogating me. She was casually sitting at the wooden table, calmly sipping a mug of tea as she reviewed the charges pressed.

"Avalon de Monti. Age twenty-seven, blue eyes and blue hair. Due to a genetic mishap, you ended up with blue hair, which all in all, is quite intriguing by itself. Supposedly dead for three months. And what do you have to say for yourself?"

Our eyes met, but she still retained her calm composure with only a flicker of distaste in her eyes.

It was the woman who had captured me and given me to the scientists on the day the Trost District Wall fell.

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Thanks for reading! Please review~


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Avalon's P.O.V.

I glared at the woman as she sat across from me. "I have nothing to say to you." I spoke coldly as she merely smiled at my response. "I'll talk to anyone but you. Out of everyone here, shouldn't you be the one who knows what happened to me in the best and very well-described detail? After all, wasn't I unconscious most of the time?"

Petra exchanged worried looks with Auruo. It appeared that the rest of the squad was also interested in my story, so they too had joined in. "Avalon, what are you talking about?" The woman asked, pretending to be mystified. "This is the first time I've met you. My daughter and son are big fans of your music though."

I stood up, making the chair topple over onto the hard dirt-packed stone floor. "Stop talking shit. Why don't you tell the Scouting Legion of how I was supposedly dead during the chaos in Trost?!" I pounced on her, screaming. Oh yeah, Avalon, it's _such _a good idea to attack someone in an attempt to prove you are _totally _sane and not crazy.

Levi pulled me off, and I was tempted to bite him.

"Take her away!" He barked at the officers standing guard. They made a motion to subdue me and he sighed, clearly exasperated. "I meant the government official, not the girl!"

"Commander!" I saw a sweaty soldier run up to our little group. Emily, Evan, and Isla trailed after him uncertainly, as if unsure as to whether they were even allowed to be out of the small prison. "We have the files!"

Erwin nodded. "Leave them on the table." The slightly-burnt papers were set down and I looked at them curious.

"Did you retrieve our experimental files?!" Isla's voice was sharp. "How did you even know about those?!"

"You have no permission to look through those," Evan dared to speak up bravely, though his voice was trembling, making the show of appearance rather weak, "You have no right to look through our personal information."

Levi scoffed. "Tch. All three of you talk in your sleep." We paled while Emily sighed. "It isn't a secret unless you shut up about it."

"You guys never fail to amuse me," she giggled, "Death by sleep talking!"

"Shut up," Isla groaned, "Anyway, I demand you hand those over to us now! These are our private files, and I can sue you for invasion of personal privacy!"

Erwin glanced at her and slapped the sheaf of papers down, letting everyone see it. Even from my corner, I could see the writing, clear and bold on each of the three papers within eyesight.

_Stats:_

_Experiment 09: Male. Half-Titan. A non-shifter. Failure. He does, however, have the unique ability to command Titans and speak to them. It is unknown whether they target him as a potential human for eating._

_Experiment 07: Female. Half-Titan. A shifter. Success. She has extra abilities, like killing the Titan side of a shifter and turning them completely human. The final step to turn her into one has yet to be executed, the one in which she has to swallow a cup of human blood to fully activate her powers._

_Experiment 04: Female. Half-Titan. A non-shifter. Failure. She possesses abilities to heal any injury caused by the Titans and restore humanity to those who have lost it, thereby turning Titans into the average shifter._

_The Expiration Dates: It's been tested that all ten subjects will soon expire. The exact date for each one is unknown. Second has already reached his date, and from that, we conclude that the date shall be the day the subjects will experience the worst pain of their lives. The time for Second to expire took up a total of two hours. He screamed the whole time. When it was all over, there were no remnants of him, besides maybe a pinch of dust. There wasn't even a drop of the special bright blue blood left of 02._

Isla was quickly approaching the boundaries of her mentality. Her hands were locked tight around her ears, as if to block off any sound. "No…no…I'm still human! I have to be human! I'm not different! I can't be!" She started crying while Emily started soothing her down by rubbing her shoulders and saying nothing, taking on the role of a mother.

"She's right." Evan deadpanned. "Our blood color isn't electric blue." My eyes widened at that. They hadn't bled at all during the labs? "Look." He bit himself, but stopped as blue blood trickled down his arm, running over his wrist like delicate spider webs.

A few hours later, I found myself locked up in a dark room. Apparently since I was the only shifter, they decided that I was the most dangerous. I sighed, flipping through a few notebooks. I remembered scrawling my day's events in looping calligraphy.

This was the room where I stayed as a cadet in the Scouting Legion. The door was locked now, and it was dark, but it still filled me with nostalgia. Personally, I never knew why I kept on writing in those notebooks. Still, day after day, I remembered myself automatically pressing the pen into the paper and writing, the lantern burning bright in the dark evening.

_ June 6-I dyed my hair blue today. I don't think the Royal Family will be expecting me to dye my hair. They thought I would be the perfect girl to raise, the perfect one who was completely obedient and never argued back. I wonder…if I was to stay, what would have happened?_

_ I'm thinking about entering the Military. Not the Military Police, of course, but perhaps the Scouting Legion? If I'm most likely to lose my life there all the better. I've been called a suicidal person, yes. But I don't plan to die at my own hands. The feeling of when you're about to die, the adrenaline, can force you to live on._

_November 22- I graduated! It's a really big success for me. The Royal Family hasn't discovered me yet either. I think this blue hair dye is really working! I've seen the Princess, but she hasn't recognized me either. It's quite unsettling. For a childhood friend to not be able to even recognize you anymore._

_ The freedom of soaring outside of the Walls…it's enough to fill your mind with dreams about the outside world. I knew the King has a whole entire study filled with books concerning the outside world, but I've never read them. When we go on expeditions, though our lives are at stake, you can almost feel the invisible chains lifting off of your body, only to return and weigh you down again as you re-enter the Walls._

_December 19- Today I quit the Scouting Legion. The Royal Family found me again. Darn. Even with the permanent blue hair dye and the fake name, I still couldn't escape their grasp. It was a sorrowful, yet compromising meeting. They said that they were having difficulties subduing the working classes and below. The Scouting Legion hasn't done any major missions with victories, so the atmosphere is ever so dark._

_ I agreed to be a hopeful figure to them. That would raise both the opinion of the Royal Family and the encouragement for the Scouting Legion. Quitting the Legion would be a big waste, considering I did score pretty high in the testing. Erwin let me be a backup for the Special Operations Squad if there wasn't enough time to replace someone. And now some song lyrics to start out with in my new career? I think they're kind of dark…_

_ The mourning bells were tolling. Why do you still cry? The mourning bells were tolling. This is not the time to be sad. Rejoice, rejoice, because the Kingdom has come. Give us all dreams have told us, all the glory and power, upon humanity without the truth that shall devour us all. Truth is a dark pit of despair. Why do we lie? Because the truth is never pretty._

I stopped reading, my arm over my eyes, shutting out the light. The door creaked open, and Petra came in, smiling like usual. "Well, you look like you're getting a bit too comfy in here!"

"I thought I was too dangerous to be around," I replied drily, "What happened to that?"

"They changed their mind," she said briskly, "As long as you don't drink a cup of human blood, it should be alright. Plus your friends pleaded in your case. Now, let's go back to those cooking lessons! You didn't think that just because you've been missing for just about forever, I would let you off easy, didn't you!?"

"Alright, alright." I gave in and followed her into the kitchens. We spent the rest of the time making experimental pies. "Why are you making so many pies anyway? Usually you already have a recipe prepared beforehand. Or…wait…you want to find out which pie will suit Levi better!" I pointed accusingly at her. The girl was crazily in love with Levi. I never really got what she saw in the clean-freak.

"I think the peach one is the best," Petra said, tapping her chin with her finger, intentionally avoiding my question. I knew her too well that she couldn't lie to me anymore. "But the blueberry has good texture and the crumble was nice. But I'm not so sure if Levi likes sweet things…" Actually, Petra did most of the work, resulting in seemingly perfect pies, while I, the horrible disaster chef, stood by.

"What are we going to be doing tomorrow?" I asked curiously. "When can I see the squad again?"

"We're going on an expedition the next day. But afterwards, you can sit down and have some tea with the squad and Eren!"

"Eren?"

"Ah, he's a special person," she said quickly, avoiding my stern gaze.

I later found out he was also a Titan-shifter, but this time, he could actually shift. That made me feel so useless as a person who was able to shift, but couldn't, due to the fact drinking human blood sounded revolting. "Tch. You're finally back, Avalon," Auruo tsked. "It's about time." I could almost feel the I-Am-A-Wannabe-Levi vibes coming from him.

"Welcome back," Gunter said. "Meet Eren, the rookie who might be in the squad one day. He hasn't worked out the squad signals yet. You can help teach him those." The signals was a set of body movements, or body language, that this particular group used to order each other around when there was no time for words. I had barely gotten the hang of it; the 3DMG was easy to use, but to do specific movements with it was just too overwhelming in the beginning.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Eren Jaeger!" The boy barked, stiff. He didn't look scared, more like he was haunted by something. "Are you a friend of Corporal Levi's?"

"Oi, brat," Levi entered the room, "I did not give you permission to be nosy in my fucking private life." He saw me, and immediately, his attention was attracted to my bare feet, which were quite dusty. I hadn't had the time to ask for shoes between the masquerade, in which I lost my heels, and now. "You better clean this room after and get shoes on. And get your friends to stop poking around. They're fricken annoying to the cadets. While you're doing that, go clean the dirty-ass stables and be useful for a change."

"I'm sorry, _Sir."_My voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Do you want a cup of tea to go with that?"

Petra broke into the glare fizzing between Levi and me, laughing nervously. "Shouldn't we go to the stables ourselves, Corporal? We have to prep the saddles for tomorrow's expedition."

The Next Day…

I hummed to myself as I cut the peaches, aligning the knife parallel to the round fruit. Petra mentioned something about wanting to see how the peach pie would turn out if I made it. The Special Operations Squad was on an expedition with Eren now, so I was planning to present it as a surprise to them.

A picture frame with me, the squad, and Levi wobbled a bit as I sliced the blade down a little too hard, chipping the wood. I reached out and steadied it, gazing at the single photo. I wished that I could relive my experiences with them, when everything was happy, no one died as often, and the mood wasn't gloomy at all.

It was perfect.

Meanwhile…

Petra was raging on and on at the Female Titan, continuously challenging her. So when the Female Titan slammed her into the tree and broke her spine, she wasn't prepared to dodge it. The corpse left was gazing up at the sky, glassy eyes watching the flock of birds fly over the forest.

A Few Hours Later…

The squad returned. Well, Levi returned. When I asked him where the rest of the squad was with the burnt pie in my hands, he walked past me. I might have imagined it, but I swore I saw his eyes harden.

Levi never looked like that. Why was he showing his emotions now?

Realization dawned over me, and I suddenly found myself re-watching memories, memories with Petra, with Auruo, with Erd, with Gunter, with the whole entire squad. Before I knew it, a tear had made its way down my cheek, dripping onto the blackened crust of the pie. The pie Petra had taught me to make.

The pastry fell from my hands and crashed on the floor, tin bent, and the dessert crushed.

Erwin later sat me down across a wooden table from him. He confirmed what I had been fearing, but was too afraid to ask. My ears tuned out as he said more of those terrible words. _Wiped out. Unsuspected and sneaky attack. Wasn't prepared. Fought bravely. Will be remembered. Petra. Auruo. Erd. Gunter. Levi. Only one survived. Female Titan. Experienced shifter. Our mistake. Humanity's loss. No body. I'm sorry._

I was crying openly now, not even attempting to conceal my tears. Levi watched me, and Erwin stood up, leaving the room. Emily burst in, and upon seeing my wrecked state, immediately switched to her alternate mother-like persona. "Shhh. It's okay. Everything will turn out okay."

_ The mourning bells were tolling. Why do you still cry? The mourning bells were tolling. This is not the time to be sad. Rejoice, rejoice, because the Kingdom has come. Give us all dreams have told us, all the glory and power, upon humanity without the truth that shall devour us all. Truth is a dark pit of despair. Why do we lie? Because the truth is never pretty._

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Thanks for reading! Please review~


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Avalon's P.O.V.

"To use 3DMG, I guess you have to like…uh…twirl midair?" I asked hesitantly. I was decent at the use of the gear, but by no means ready to teach two people the basics even. "Ugh, Levi is so much better at this than I am."

"You press the trigger thingy, right?" Isla asked and she pressed it. The sharp hook flew out and buried itself into the rough dirt, narrowly missing her foot. "Oh god, how do people let these things near people under the age of eighteen? It's a weapon that can kill!"

Evan gave her a funny look. "Nice one, kitten. I'm pretty sure it was something created to be like a weapon and kill." The sarcasm leaked through his voice like a thin sheet of paper. "I think I got the hang of it now, Avalon."

"Speak for yourself," Isla muttered, still trying to drag the wire from the dirt, tugging at it with both hands. "How do you disconnect this thing?"

Meanwhile…

Reiner wandered restlessly near the outskirts of Wall Maria, waiting. His face immediately brightened upon seeing two girls walk toward him with long, even strides. "You came."

"I'm pretty sure I did," one of them said mildly. She had brown eyes and blonde hair that reached her waist. "I mean, why else would I be here, Reiner?" She quickly embraced him, linking her hands around the nape of his neck.

"Eww. Can you guys stop slipping into make-out sessions every single damn time you see each other?" The other girl faked gagging and straightened up. "Alyssa, we're only allowed to be here a limited time before everyone starts to realize they don't know us and we don't have identification. So cut the chit-chat and let's get moving!"

Alyssa glared at the girl. "I'm sorry if I happen to have someone I treasure, Lisa." The girls were twins, the only thing physically different between the two being their eye color, Alyssa having brown eyes and Lisa having very light hazel ones. "Reiner, Annie got captured, right?"

"What an idiot," Lisa murmured, "Didn't we completely specify to never shift in the city, even if we're cornered?" She shook her head, sighing. "We've lost one of the best shifters too. What a shame. Are we still following the basic plan from before? Annie's participation would be helpful, but it wasn't crucial in the initial plan created."

"Yeah," Reiner nodded. Lisa gave him a long look and walked away.

"Just make sure you two lovebirds don't take too long, alright?"

"Yay! She went away!" Alyssa cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "Reiner, what did you want to talk about?"

"What if we…don't get the Coordinate?" Reiner mumbled his voice low. "We might not survive this, Alyssa. Bertholdt, Lisa, you, me, we can all die at any time. Maybe it's best for you and Lisa to go into hiding. With Annie in the hands of the humans along with the Coordinate, the tide isn't with our favor."

"Hm, you have a point," Alyssa smiled, cupping Reiner's face with both hands. "But that's why Lisa and I are here. I'm not going to run away. And when the time comes, just watch, I'll be the one to save ya." She patted his right cheek and ran off, giggling.

Avalon's P.O.V.

I restlessly wandered in the dark room and abruptly tripped over a chair. "Calm down," Emily said, putting her hand on my shoulder, "You're freaking me out now." She was playing with the 3DMG harness. "It still feels weird wearing a harness."

"Yeah, I still don't like the feel of it," Isla said, examining the trigger. The button got pressed, and the hook flew out and embedded in the wall, inches where Evan stood. "Shit! Sorry, Evan!"

"Good Lord, please make sure that I don't die at the hands of the kitten, who cannot even control a stupid damn hook," Evan muttered, glaring at the said person. "Sheesh."

"Stop calling me kitten!" Isla protested, shooting a venom-filled look at Evan. "So mean."

"Well, you do resemble a kitten," Emily confirmed, and I stifled a laugh.

All experiments –plus Emily- were locked in an underground room after the Scouting Legion received news that Commander Erwin had successfully captured the Female Titan, a girl known as Annie Leonhart. Levi was nowhere to be found too, so the squads were very cautious and thought it would be the best idea ever to lock all four of us in a cramped, interrogation room. With no one to argue in our favor, we were herded into the room like sheep.

"I don't get why they would let us keep the 3DMG." Emily noted. "I mean, wouldn't t be safer for them to take it away from us?" She harrumphed, and started fiddling with the blades, taking them out, and putting them back in.

Third-Person P.O.V.

Alyssa sighed softly, setting the blade on the wooden table as she watched Lisa pack. "I guess it's time to go," she murmured, "Can you believe we're actually doing this?"

"Leaving the shifters and betrayal?" Lisa shook her head. "I had a feeling the day was yet to come. But allying ourselves with the humans in order to survive? Never saw that one coming." She plunked the backpack down. "I packed food and water. It should be enough, shouldn't it? Plus some clothes."

"I don't even understand why we decided to choose the humans," Alyssa shot back; "Freedom and death are one and the same, so why bother?"

Avalon's P.O.V.

I looked upon the face upon who had killed many. Eren, Levi, Erwin and Hanji were all there. Annie had been crystallized and, fearing that cracking the crystal would harm her, Hanji had given orders that none were to try and break it.

"What do you think?" Erwin asked Evan who was examining the encased girl with careful eyes.

"Will it work?" Hanji was salivating, making Emily inch away from her. She looked like she might turn into a maniac at any time. They were discussing the prospect of using Evan's ability of commanding Titans and shifters to try and order Annie to get out of the hard material.

"I think so," he said, taking one step back. "Give me a few minutes." Without any hesitation whatsoever, he bit into his hand. Beads of unnatural, blue blood flowed onto the crystal. "Crack the crystal and get out of there. Don't die."

A blinding light sparked in the room, engulfing both Annie and Evan. It blinded my eyes, and I looked away for the fear of permanently damaging my poor eyesight as it was now. The flash cleared, and I saw that nothing happened.

_Ssszzzzzzz…_

A long crack started in the crystal. Annie's eyes were open, but they looked unseeing. Isla and Emily hugged each other, excited. Eren's eyes were so huge; I thought for a second, they were going to pop right out of his head.

"Huzzah! Bow at my awesome-ness!" Evan crowed. Emily smacked him on the head.

"You could at least be modest! I think I really have set my expectations for you too high."

Annie looked unconscious. "Avalon," Hanji said, "Do you think you can give her some blood?" I looked at her, surprised by the request. My blood would take away all of Annie's shifter abilities, turning her into a normal human. "Not right now, of course! We have to get to know her better! But just in case anything goes wrong…I don't want anyone to die."

I nodded. Evan handed me an empty glass vial, and I bit down on my hand, blood slowly filling the thin glass. "Here," I gave her the blood, licking the bite marks. "Hope it helps." Levi glanced at me, and after a moment's consideration, tossed me a roll of bandages. "Thanks, Levi-chan~! That's probably the nicest thing you've ever done for me!" I grinned foolishly while he tsked.

"While we're waiting for her to wake up," Isla piped, "Why don't we talk about what happens from now on? If she almost escaped from Wall Sina, I don't really trust that the Scouting Legion will be able to predict her movements that well as she's human, which in all actuality, is an advantage for her to escape due to the fact humans go unnoticed within the Walls, unlike the Titans." I wasn't the only one staring at her. For someone who seemed ditzy all of the time, Isla touched upon some really important points.

"Who does she extend her humanity and open herself up to?" Emily mused, watching Annie with careful eyes. "I would bet all of my money that the one person she trusts can convince her to do anything. I mean half of the Scouting Legion –who she thought as her loyal acquaintances, maybe even as her friends- have betrayed her and decided it would be better to use the element of surprise instead of confronting her directly."

"Armin Arlert," Levi muttered. We all turned to look at the corporal.

"Armin Arlert does have a close relationship with Annie Leonhart." Erwin confirmed. Isla glared at him. "Annie Leonhart will be placed under as his responsibility. The Special Operations Squad will also have to look out for her."

"There is no Special Operations Squad left," Emily reminded the commander. "They died at her hand. Remember?"

Two Hours Later…

I watched Levi clean his blades yet again. It started to occur to me that cleaning his blades was a pacifying pastime for him. "The cleaning liquid isn't going to go anywhere," I said, gently prying his hands open and removing the white rag. He was rubbing it into the blade so hard, the blade cut through the cloth. His palm was bleeding, a long but shallow cut. "Use this," I gave back the roll of bandages. "It seems like you need it more than I do."

"Tch." Was his only reply.

A soft knock echoed on the door, and Evan peeked inside the room. "Uh, Avalon, you might want to come outside."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" I glared at him and consented with the idea of staying. I finally gave up and walked over. As soon as the door was closed, I whirled on Evan.

"What did you want?"

"Do you want the sugar-coated version or the blunt one?" He asked. I felt dread creep up my back and neck. If it had to be sugar-coated, I wasn't going to like it either way. "We'll be dead before two years have passed."

"What?!" My sharp voice resounded within itself, and I blinked away tears. "How do you know that?!"

"Expiration dates…have dates, Avalon. The good news is Isla dies last." He confirmed, and I briefly wondered if she knew. Evan didn't disappoint. "I already told her. Emily's with her in the female cabin area right now. The files. If you dig deeper and connect some points, you can come up with that conclusion. I even asked Hanji and Erwin about it."

"Who dies first?" My voice came out hushed. I realized I had been trembling the whole time. "You or me?"

He drew a ragged breath. "I'm first."

"Guys?" Isla gently pushed herself between us. "Do you…do you…?" She couldn't complete her thought as a wave of grief overcame her, and she slowly sank to the floor, sobbing. I pat her back, wondering where the hell Emily was doing at the moment. "Emily went to go ask for permission to visit a relative."

Oh. She probably thought it would be best to leave us alone for now. "Come on," Evan slung Isla's arm around his shoulders, supporting both her weight and his. "We need to go, right?"

"You go ahead," I told him. He nodded and left, taking small and short steps. I hesitated behind the door. Levi was inside, and I had the option of telling him or leaving the matter alone and putting Levi in the dark.

One, two tears rolled down my face and I walked away.

In the end, I still couldn't tell him the truth.

A Few Hours Later…

"What do you want now?" Annie sounded tired. I was watching from the shadows, Evan and Isla beside me. "I don't have anything to tell you." We were still waiting for the arrival of Armin.

"There are other shifters," Erwin stated, "Who are they?" Many cadets had guns trained on the exhausted girl, and I felt a stab of pity for her. A single movement, a motion, would kill her in maybe half of a minute. The atmosphere was suffocating.

"I'm going to go outside for a breath of fresh air," I murmured to Isla. She shook her head and trailed after me as I opened the door. "What should we do, kitten?" I asked her.

"Let's stroll down memory lane, shall we?" She retorted, and I hid an expression of surprise. "What? It's a well-known therapeutic exercise that confronts your fear instead of tucking it away in the many corners of the human mind. Except we aren't human."

"Well…," I said, trailing off, "wouldn't you think it would be a bad thing for us? Our memories are quite dark."

"No, not that! I meant out memories before…it happened." She frowned. "Like your singer life."

"My lifestyle is actually well-known," I muttered, "What about yours?"

Her eyes darkened. "A person killed my whole entire life."

"Who?" This was new. I wasn't expecting for someone like Isla to have a dark past.

"Erwin Smith."

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Thanks for reading! Please review~


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